You can be in AFib for 48 hours or less before cardioversion.
The success rate of cardioversion is 90 percent or more.
Cardioversion lasts around 5 minutes although recovery can take around a few hours.
Before the cardioversion procedure you may also take some blood thinner medicine and rhythm control medicines.
Cardioversion is a very safe procedure and it's very unlikely that any serious complications will arise from a cardioversion.
With cardioversion there is however a small risk of developing blood clots which can travel from the heart to the body.
The surgeon and doctors are aware of this and will give you some blood thinning medications to prevent the blood clots from happening.
An electrical cardioversion is an outpatient procedure.
Most people who have a cardioversion done are at the hospital around three hours.
Before the cardioversion treatment, you'll receive an IV catheter, which facilitates delivery of medications that keep you relaxed and pain-free during the procedure.
Cardioversion doesn't always fix a fast or irregular heartbeat.
You may need medicine or a pacemaker to control things.
It might make things worse: It's unlikely, but there's a small chance that cardioversion could damage your heart or lead to more arrhythmias.
Electrical cardioversion works better and is used more often than chemical cardioversion.
Your doctor may not want you to have cardioversion if you have minor symptoms.
Cardioversion also may not be recommended if you are elderly, if you have had AFib a long time, or if you have other major medical problems.
Cardioversion is a treatment to restore a normal heartbeat when your heart is beating too fast or with an irregular rhythm.
It's often used to treat atrial fibrillation, the most common kind of irregular beat.
Wires connect the sensors to a cardioversion machine. The machine records your heart rhythm.
It delivers quick, low-energy shocks to the heart to restore a regular heart rhythm.
Electric cardioversion usually takes only a few minutes to complete.
Cardioversion itself takes about 5 minutes.
But the whole procedure, including recovery, may take a few hours.
You may take rhythm-control medicines and a blood-thinner medicine before and after cardioversion.
Electrical cardioversion is more than 90% effective, though many have AFib again shortly after having it.
After the cardioversion procedure, you may have redness, like a sunburn, where the patches were.
The medicines you got to make you sleepy may make you feel drowsy for the rest of the day.
You may also feel soreness or discomfort in your chest wall for a few days.